


Daydreams and Ninja Parties

by malevolentmango



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Pining Hanzo Shimada
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 08:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11144514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malevolentmango/pseuds/malevolentmango
Summary: Sometimes, when Hanzo is so busy with college that even breathing feels like extra work, he regrets the day his brother ever met Jesse McCree.Usually though, it's Jesse himself taking his breath away.





	Daydreams and Ninja Parties

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [Tsoleil](http://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorqui) for betaing and for being a huge inspiration when it comes to college AUs. If you haven't already, you should check out their McHanzo college series, because it's incredible.
> 
> This fic was a "request" from [ladyofgreenkirtle](https://ladyofgreenkirtle.tumblr.com/), who asked for a generous helping of pining Hanzo and Jesse and Genji friendship in a college AU. If you'd like to "request" a fic from me, you can find me on tumblr [here<.](http://malevolentmango.tumblr.com/commissions)

If Hanzo has to sit through one more Smash Bros. tournament, he's going to scream. Or potentially throw his heaviest calculus book at Genji’s head. He hasn't decided yet. 

 

The logical thing to do, of course, would be to barricade himself in his room until the  _ distraction _ leaves. But that might not be for hours yet (potentially, considering one recent eventful weekend, overnight), and Hanzo refuses to let his actions be dictated by someone so...objectionable.

 

And if he leaves, well. It's not like he can stare at Jesse McCree through the wall. This is both a pro and a con on his mental list of “Should Hanzo Hide In His Room and Ignore His Problems Forever?” 

 

Jesse lets out a loud whoop that overshadows Genji’s exaggerated groan of defeat, and Hanzo remains in his seat. The cowboy wins. He always does.

 

“One more round,” Genji demands, shifting even closer to the TV screen, as if his proximity had been his downfall before. 

 

“Face it,  _ Sparrow,  _ you just ain't on your game today,” Jesse says, a teasing lilt to his ridiculous accent that leaves Hanzo squirming. 

 

“I will win this time.” Genji speeds through the game's menu faster than Hanzo can follow, determination in every move of his fingers over the controller. 

 

They launch into another game immediately. Hanzo has abandoned his textbook entirely at this point, finding the look of wild glee on Jesse's face to be far more interesting than Riemann sums. He's hyper-focused on the screen, following the movements of Genji’s character, gauging the best time to strike. Like he's planning out a real battle strategy.

 

Hanzo wonders what it would be like to have all that intensity focused solely on him. He's not sure he would survive it. 

 

Jesse McCree, he thinks, is unfairly gorgeous. What gave him the right to be so attractive while wearing that beat-up old Stetson? And that garish red handkerchief around his neck? And that  _ soul patch? _

 

Perhaps it's his own tastes that he should be questioning.

 

“Well hell, Genji,” Jesse says against a backdrop of victory music, breaking Hanzo out of his musings, “maybe you should get your brother to sub in for you. He can't possibly be worse.” He accompanies his words with a smirk and a sly glance over his shoulder at Hanzo.

 

Hanzo can feel his face burning brighter than a traffic light, but thankfully Jesse doesn't notice, too busy with goading Genji further. He tries to focus on his textbook again. But the _ distraction _ is still a distraction, and he wishes he could be as invested in his school work as he is in observing the way Jesse’s head tilts back when he laughs, carefree and ecstatic, or the sloping curve of his neck when he leans forward, concentrating on the game.

 

~~~

 

Hanzo sees Jesse everywhere he goes. In every wide-brimmed hat, in every flash of red out of the corner of his eye, in every accented twang and every pair of boots. He’s helpless to it. More often than not, he spends a good portion of his classes daydreaming - his favorite dream is of a picnic under the stars, where they cuddle together for warmth against the chill night air and Jesse catches his lips in a kiss whenever the mood strikes him, which is often. 

 

It will only ever be a dream. Jesse has never shown the slightest interest in him other than the politeness owed to a friend's brother. Hanzo can live with that. 

 

He tells himself he doesn't have time for a relationship anyway, that college is more important. It doesn't make the daydreams stop coming. It doesn't make sharing a room with him any easier. 

 

And helping him plan a surprise party for Genji’s birthday? Well, if he's going to be a lost cause, he may as well do it in style. 

 

~~~

 

“Look, I know we ain't always got along,” Jesse says, the first to break the minute-long silence they've been caught in since they met outside the local party supplies store. “But it'll make Genji happy to have you involved, you know?”

 

What Hanzo doesn't say: “You could clothe yourself in nothing but the multi-colored streamers in that window display and I would still, unfortunately, be attracted to you. Or, at the very least, to the prospect of unwrapping you.”

 

What Hanzo does say: “Of course.”

 

At first, it's incredibly awkward. They don't talk except to disagree on every decoration one of them picks out. Hanzo keeps his distance, because if he stands any closer he might just give in to the temptation to reach out and grab Jesse’s hand. 

 

And then they come across a section entirely devoted to ninja decorations.

 

Things start looking up when they both turn to each other at the same time and say,  _ “This.” _

 

Jesse laughs, and Hanzo treasures the curve of his smile, offering one of his own in return. It gets easier after that, less awkward. Hanzo listens intently as Jesse talks about his classes for the semester. One of the things he’s always liked about Jesse is how quickly he can switch from that carefully carefree attitude of his to one of giddy earnestness when he talks about something he loves - in this case, a French history class where his professor assigns essays in the form of historical fiction.

 

Hanzo is content to simply listen, but then Jesse starts asking him questions about himself. Why he chose his major, what he does when he’s hiding in his room when Jesse comes over sometimes (Hanzo does not blush. He does not.), what his and Genji’s life was like in Japan. He talks about himself more to Jesse than he has to anyone in a long time.

 

Once they start talking, they don’t stop. The conversation keeps going out the door of the party store, through the grocery store for snacks and mixers, and through the liquor store. Jesse complains that his arms are aching by the time they finally make it back to the apartment, where they hide everything in Hanzo’s closet. He flops down onto Hanzo’s bed with a sigh and takes off his hat to run a hand through his hair. 

 

It’s just close enough to some of Hanzo’s fantasies that he has to busy himself with rearranging the things on his desk, hoping Jesse won't notice the red tinge to his cheeks. 

 

“Well, I'll be honest, that was a helluva lot more fun than I expected,” Jesse says, pushing back his hair once more to place the hat back on his head. “You're an interestin’ fella, Hanzo. Where you been hidin’ that personality all this time?”

 

Hanzo musters up a smirk. “I am full of surprises.”

 

Jesse laughs and stands up, clearly ready to head out. “I'll say. See you in a few days then?” He claps Hanzo on the shoulder on his way out the door, and Hanzo completely forgets to respond until he hears the front door to the apartment close behind him. 

 

“Yeah. See you.” Followed by, “Fuck.”

 

~~~

 

Hanzo hates parties as much as Genji loves them, which is to say, excessively. 

 

The surprise was a success. Genji had looked so shocked when Angela, his friend from the medical school and Jesse's choice for a distraction while they set up for the party, led him into the apartment to find all of his friends gathered there. He'd pulled Hanzo into a hug, grinning, and said, “Thank you, brother.”

 

So it's for Genji’s sake only that he's still sitting in the corner of their living room, getting steadily more drunk and watching an equally drunk Jesse and Genji engage in yet another Smash Bros. tournament. Jesse is annoyingly handsome tonight, wearing a red and gold plaid shirt and jeans so tight that Hanzo’s imagination needs almost no help at all conjuring up an image of what he might look like without them. 

 

Genji is victorious this time, and he celebrates by downing the rest of his drink and shouting, “HA! In your face,  _ cowman.” _

 

Jesse grumbles good-naturedly and jokes that he just let Genji win for his birthday, and that Genji will go back to being the loser that he is next time. 

 

Hanzo rolls his eyes as the crowd that had gathered to watch breaks up, laughing, heading for the drinks and snacks tables. He watches the way Genji laughs with a small smile and tries not to get drunkenly maudlin about how much his little brother has grown up. 

 

He's surprised when someone drops onto the couch next to him, and even more surprised to discover that it's Jesse. His face is red from drinking and he lost his hat at some point; his hair is mussed, and Hanzo would like nothing better than to run his fingers through it. 

 

“Think we did a mighty fine job here, partner,” Jesse says, following Hanzo’s gaze to Genji.

 

“We did,” Hanzo agrees, trying and failing to stop staring at Jesse. He's never been this close before. Jesse's eyes are a rich honey- brown - beautiful - and his lips are full and pink and far too close to his own. His words aren't slurred at all despite the number of drinks he's had, and so the deep purr of his voice hits Hanzo full force. The scent of his cologne is liable to drive Hanzo insane if he's subjected to it for much longer.

 

Every inch of him is overwhelming, and Hanzo never wants him to leave. 

 

Jesse looks back at him and grins. “Nice to see you without your nose in one of those books all the time. Was a damn shame to hide such a pretty face.”

 

Hanzo knows he's failed to stop the blush that rushes to his cheeks, unbidden, when Jesse's grin only grows. 

 

“Yes well, I am not averse to having fun. Occasionally.”

 

“That so?” Jesse tilts his head, narrows his eyes, and Hanzo discovers that he was right: having all that intense focus directed at him is most definitely going to kill him. “Well come on then, Mister Full-of-Surprises, what else you got for me?”

 

What Hanzo should say: “I have trained in archery since I was a child and could beat your score at that shooting range you frequent any day.”

 

What Hanzo does instead: Loses his cool entirely and leans in to press his lips to Jesse's, a temptation he can no longer resist. 

 

For a brief moment, Hanzo feels nothing but joy and relief, to know what it's like to kiss Jesse after so long spent dreaming about doing it. And then his brain catches up with what his mouth is doing, and he jerks away from Jesse, nearly climbing over the armrest in his attempt to get as far away as possible. 

 

“I apologize,” he stutters out, trying to find his composure again.  He thinks it might be lost forever. “I should not have done that.”

 

Jesse just looks stunned. He opens his mouth to speak, but Hanzo never finds out what he was going to say. There's a shout of Jesse's name from the other room - Genji and Gabe calling him over for a round of shots. Hanzo takes the opportunity to escape, doing what he should have done much earlier: locking his door and never leaving his room again. 

 

~~~

 

Hanzo thinks it's highly unnecessary for the universe to insist that he wake up the next day.

 

Groaning, he stumbles out of bed and goes to get ready for the day, pretending that he's still a normal human being and not a complete and utter idiot. 

 

He has little success. 

 

The notification light on his phone blinks threateningly at him from the coffee table where he left it last night in his haste to get away. He picks it up reluctantly and isn't surprised to find a message from Jesse. He is surprised, however, at what it says. 

 

**Jesse**

_ 10:31 _

can we meet up later today? maybe for coffee? my treat

 

**Hanzo**

_ 11:08 _

I don't think that is a good idea.

 

Jesse responds almost immediately. 

 

**Jesse**

_ 11:09 _

i hope you'll reconsider. cause see, i'd really like to give that whole kissing thing another try. without the liquor involved

 

Hanzo stares at his phone in disbelief for a few moments, reassuring himself that this isn't just another dream. And then he smiles so wide that Genji, who's just now dragging himself to the kitchen for coffee to combat his no-doubt massive hangover, asks him if he should call an ambulance. 

  
Hanzo’s pretty sure he doesn't need one. Not for his dreams coming true. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like to freak out about McHanzo with me, you can find me on tumblr [here](http://malevolentmango.tumblr.com).


End file.
